Manufacture of telecommunications cable core units

Abstract

Changing relative positions of conductor pairs along a telecommunications cable core by passing the unstranded pairs, as they approach the core unit forming means, through individual guides which are reciprocally moved across a feedpath for the pairs, the guides being disposed in series along the feedpath with each guide aligned for unobstructed passage of its conductor unit along the feedpath. In this construction, means to reciprocate each guide overlaps those of other guides, thereby reducing the total height of the apparatus.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Apparatus for forming a core unit from telecommunications conductor units, each formed of twisted together insulated conductors and in which the relative positions of the conductor units are changed along the core unit, the apparatus comprising in order, downstream along a feedpath for the core unit: guide means to prevent conductor units from stranding together as they move downstream from the guide means;   a plurality of position changing means for conductor units, each position changing means for changing the position of a conductor unit across the feedpath relative to other conductor units and each position changing means comprising a guide and means to reciprocally move the guide along a path across the feedpath, the position changing means disposed in series with one another along the feedpath, with their paths of movement substantially parallel to one another and with their reciprocating means overlapping one another in a view taken along the feedpath and with the arrangement of position changing means being such that each guide is disposed for unobstructed passage of a conductor unit as it moves along the feedpath; and   a core unit forming and take-up means to draw the conductor units together to form the core unit.   
     
     
       2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each reciprocating means is operable to move its guide independently of the movement of other guides. 
     
     
       3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each reciprocating means comprises an endless moving means having its associated guide secured thereto and reciprocally movable along one flight of the moving means, said one flight of the moving means of different position changing means being non-aligned to provide the unobstructed passage of the conductor units. 
     
     
       4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each endless moving means is provided with an individual drive means. 
     
     
       5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the endless moving means of different position changing means are movable at different relative speeds by the drive means. 
     
     
       6. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each endless moving means is provided with an individual reversible drive motor. 
     
     
       7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each drive motor is drivable at a speed which is independent of the speeds of other motors. 
     
     
       8. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein reversing means is provided for each drive motor, operation of each reversing means to reverse the direction of its drive motor dependent upon the position of the associated guide. 
     
     
       9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein, for each direction of movement of each endless moving means, the associated reversing means comprises a magnetic field producing means, a magnetic field receiving means in fixed position relative to the producing means to be influenced by a characteristic of the field, and a magnetic field interference means, movement of the endless moving means effecting simultaneous relative movement of the producing and receiving means on the one hand, and the interference means on the other to locate the interference means between the producing and receiving means when the moving means is at the limit of movement in said direction thereby to change the characteristic of the field at the receiving means, said receiving means operable upon said change in characteristic to initiate a control signal to reverse the direction of rotation of the drive motor. 
     
     
       10. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said one flight of successive endless moving means extends substantially horizontally and in different vertical positions. 
     
     
       11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the endless moving means are disposed in at least two groups, one vertically above the other, with said one flight in each group extending substantially horizontally and vertically displaced progressively in one direction from one endless moving means to the next. 
     
     
       12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein there are two groups of endless moving means disposed vertically one above the other, with said first flight of each group disposed at the side of the group closest to the other and with the first flights of the two groups progressively closer together from moving means to moving means in a downstream direction along the feedpath. 
     
     
       13. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each reciprocating means comprises a rigid member extending across and movable along a fixed path across the feedpath and having its associated guide means secured thereto, and an individual drive means to reciprocally move the rigid member across the feedpath. 
     
     
       14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each individual drive means comprises a rotatable drive spindle formed with a screw thread, reversible means to rotate the spindle and a driven screw-threaded member engaged with the spindle and secured to the associated rigid member to effect movement of the screw-threaded member and rigid member in one direction across the feedpath upon rotation of the drive spindle in the appropriate direction. 
     
     
       15. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each reversible means comprises a reversible drive motor drivably connected to the spindle and reversing means is provided for each drive motor, each reversing means operable upon the associated rigid member reaching a limit of movement in either direction to reverse the direction of rotation of the drive motor.